Blog Archives

“A Path Of Destruction… A Night Of Vengeance” was the tagline attached to the next to last Pay-Per-View by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001 before the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) bought them out, which ended what was widely known as the “Monday Night Wars.”

While 2000’s WCW is synonymous with storyline absurdity and embarrassment, 2001 showed graces of promise with the faint smell of overbooking evident.

Gone now were Goldberg and Hulk Hogan, but stars like Lex Luger, Ric Flair and Kevin Nash were still prominent as ever.

Flair plays the role of “evil boss” quite well actually. What also helps this show move along is the breakthrough stars like Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) and the evolution of WCW World Heavyweight Champion Scott Steiner into “Big Poppa Pump,” almost unrecognizable from his look just a few years prior.

Picture Chad Gable becoming Braun Strowman and that was Steiner in a nutshell.

This poster actually plays into Steiner’s “I rushed the legends out” heel character as he boasted victories over Sting, Booker T, Goldberg and Sid Vicious.

The last edition of Superbrawl won’t have anything you’ll find if you’re on the search for WCW’s mark on the industry, but it was a nice tease of what could’ve been had they stuck around a bit longer.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 2/16/17)

That Time In Tijuana

– The opening video recapped last week’s show, particularly the part where TNA World Tag Team Champions, The Broken Hardys, transported themselves into Tijuana, Mexico, in search of their Tag Team Champions. They called it an “expedition of gold.” We’ll go along with it and anything Broken-related. We were reminded of how they hobnobbed with the Spanish elite and led everyone in a chant of “Delete!” and oh hey, that rhymed. Go us. They were hyped (with big white capital letters and dramatic music) to face Psicosis/Super Crazy later on. That just sounds like a dream match at this point.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 7/15/15)

Vampiro Comes Alive

– Ultima Lucha is on a fast approach and to no surprise, Lucha Underground cranks out another quality show, this one more focused on the on-and-off saga of the Ancient Aztec Medallions, which are supposed to promise immortality when they all come together. Also a hot topic headed into the show was the Pentagon Jr.-Vampiro mini-feud, and that wasted no time getting to the point as to what Vampiro’s answer would be.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 7/1/15)

For Mexico

– As always, the opening video did a good job of putting a brief “spin” on the current feuds – with this episode focusing on Chavo Guerrero Jr. and his quest to gain all the power in The Temple, as well as showing the Big Ryck/Delavar Daivari “money-inspired” alliance and then of course, everybody’s favorite deadman luchador, Mil Muertes, who will now be in the main event of Ultima Lucha fighting for the Lucha Underground Championship.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 6/17/15)

All Night Long

– Oh, Lucha Underground. While every other “big name” promotion has gone through their respective hot and cold stretches, our trusty friends from the Boyle Heights Temple have consistently delivered with intriguing storylines, big matches and outstanding athleticism. They’ve essentially done “sports entertainment” better than the company that brands their own shows as such. This “All Night Long” match between Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma for the Lucha Underground Championship where whoever had the most falls by the end of the clock would be champion had plenty of hype in it and the opening video showed that, also playing into the feud between Mundo and Alberto El Patron.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 5/27/15)

Life After Death

– The opening video solidly previewed the upcoming death match between Mil Muertes and Fenix as well as the Lucha Underground Championship match between Prince Puma and Hernandez, also mixing in the newest threat of one Johnny Mundo.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 5/20/15)

Unlimited Heights

– The opening video as always, does a good job of reeling the viewer in to current issues and feuds, by using clips from weeks prior. Highlighted here were the Hernandez-Prince Puma, Delavar Daivari-Texano and The Crew-Ivelisse/Son Of Havoc/Angelico feuds.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 5/6/15)

A Two-Man War

– If you’ve been keeping up with the product lately, then the opening video wasn’t anything riveting, as it mainly hyped the initial moment when Alberto El Patron and Johnny Mundo met, and looked back at when The Crew lost to Angelico/Son Of Havoc/Ivelisse for the Trios Championships, subjecting Dario Cueto to threaten them with his literally caged brother if they lost again.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 4/8/15)

Wild Partners

– The opening video did a solid job of wrapping up current storylines, like Pentagon Jr. probably seeking revenge after being thwarted by Sexy Star on last week’s show as he attacked Super Fly, the unlikely “trios” of Son Of Havoc/Ivelisse/Angelico and Lucha Underground World Heavyweight Champion Prince Puma beating Cage with the appreciated yet forced help of Konnan and Hernandez.

– The segment with Dario Cueto, Puma and Konnan in Cueto’s office set the tone for the episode with Puma being told to find two tag partners for next week’s Trios Tag Tournament match he’d be a part of, as Cueto also revealed that on the opposing team would be King Cuerno and that Puma’s Title was on the line later in the show. This made Cueto come across the ruthless, sleazy promoter he is. Things only got more ruthless later.

– The Trios Tag Team Tournament match between Ivelisse/Son Of Havoc/Angelico and Drago/Aerostar/Fenix already sounded interesting on paper. Liked the interaction of Drago/Aerostar wanting to be the one to get the pin – their tension spilling over from their unfinished best-of-five series. The problems with all the competitors bled into the match’s finish and Ivelisse’s walk-off was good and it was intriguing to see that Angelico/Havoc/Ivelisse will advance. Only problem here was Fenix getting lost in the shuffle, considering he had a career match recently and Catrina wasn’t even out there at his side. An eventual confrontation between her and Ivelisse down the road would be fun to see.

– They continued on with the story of Konnan making choices for Puma, like forcing him and Hernandez to team up, saying it’s for the best, while disapproving Johnny Mundo as Puma’s other partner once he volunteered to join in. It’s good in making Konnan look like he still has heel tendencies as Puma’s manager, but then why all the effort to build Konnan as a hero? Pick one road and stick with it.

– There was an obvious goal to get as much heat on Cueto as possible as the evil mastermind, which we got a taste of when he booked the Sexy Star-Super Fly Mask Vs. Mask match, obviously intending to break up the Sexy Star/Super Fly alliance. Despite average ring work, both competitors carried on with a sense of urgency and there was a slight pace of emotion in their maneuvers. Matt Striker and Vampiro discussing the “lack of buildup” to a match this magnitude was good in getting Cueto heat for TV viewers, but things just felt incredibly uneventful, despite following through with the stipulation, as Sexy Star pinned Super Fly, forcing him to unmask. They did a good job of teasing this as a turning point for Super Fly’s career, questioning if this was the start of something great or the end of his career. The moment came across as emotional as it could get, allowing the perfect opportunity to have Pentagon Jr. make his move, attacking both of them, breaking Super Fly’s arm, sending him to indefinite bedrest. This also felt like the company’s first real attempt to get Pentagon Jr. heat, though they sort of failed on that front. The crowd just likes Pentagon Jr. too much.

– The Lucha Underground World Heavyweight Championship match between Puma and Cuerno had the reveal of Cage and Texano as Cuerno’s trios partners next week. We can see where Cage fits in, but what’s Texano’s beef? Not to mention Texano looks like a pushover after his feud with Alberto El Patron. He doesn’t resemble the top heel he is in AAA, but rather just another guy here in Lucha Underground. The match itself was okay, not fantastic. A little too much interaction between those on the outside -while hyping next week’s match pretty well, took away from the in-ring action on this show. The interaction between Hernandez and Puma was at least good, but you never felt that Puma’s chances of retaining were ever in danger, making it feel somewhat predictable.

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 3/25/15)

Hola, Hernandez

– The opening video did a good job of hyping all three matches on the show, highlighting how all three feuds had progressed to where they currently were. This had the feeling of a payoff show with the big marquee matches, but at least two of these feuds would seem to continue past this show.

– So, Son Of Havoc is now a single man on the market. Good for him. The match between him and Angelico was billed as the end of their feud, and with extra emphasis from Matt Striker and Vampiro on Ivelisse’s demanding managerial tactics, furthering the tension and setting up the eventual public dumping nicely. Fans have showed they want to root for Son Of Havoc and this solidified his face turn and revitalized his character, even though he had nicely settled in as a “bad luck heel.” The match itself was more of what we’d seen in the past from the two. Angelico is an interesting character – he comes off as a mix of Jeff Hardy and Chris Sabin in terms of his look and in-ring style – but he seems to lack a special “it factor” to progress his character further. He also tends to come off as sleazy at times.

– Glad to see Hernandez in the swing of things in Lucha Underground. You’d think his presence would be perfect as the new leader of The Crew or something along those lines, but because of his past ties to Konnan in TNA’s LAX, it made more sense to go in this route. This also made the viewer eager to see just how Konnan, Prince Puma and Hernandez would all interact and we’d get that later.

– It’s fair to say no Bullrope match has ever stolen a wrestling show. In fact, it’s probably a safer bet to say sometimes these matches tend to stop a feud’s momentum and feel more like an unnecessary obstacle course more than real wrestling. Fortunately, the Alberto El Patron-Texano Bullrope match for the AAA Mega Championship stepped the match concept up a notch and brought the entertainment factor. While not exactly overstaying its welcome, five more minutes wouldn’t have hurt here. Kudos to also eliminating the ridiculous “four corners” stipulation. You had the feeling that Alberto and Texano hated each other, from Texano biting Alberto and each man choking the other with the rope and using the cowbell for all its wealth. This didn’t feel like a payoff, but rather the next chapter in the feud. Alberto didn’t even have his submission locked in for more than three seconds before Texano gave up, which was slightly disappointing.

– The initial hesitation for Puma to accept Hernandez’s handshake offer was telling, as it almost teased a possible eventual turn of Konnan on Puma for Hernandez, but if anything, they tried hard to make Konnan appear as much as a face as possible, taking away the “heel manager with top face” dynamic, but enhancing the act in a way.

– The Lucha Underground World Heavyweight Championship Boyle Heights Street Fight match between Cage and Puma was nicely preceded by the debut of the newly designed Championship. The match itself was another great entertaining match as Cage looked downright tough and ruthless, even putting his hands on Konnan and calling out Hernandez, while Puma pulled off some slick maneuvers inside the ring and out. A Konnan turn might’ve been teased, but they took the more satisfying route and it seems that Konnan, Hernandez and Puma will be a solid unit for now.